The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-10-21

DREADFUL DISASTER ON THE CHICAGO
& ATLANTIC RAILWAY.
Twenty Passengers Believed to Have
Been Caught in the Wreck and
Gradually Roasted Alive.

cred Together-Blood Curdiing Recital
of tho Awful Doom of Two Families
An Express Overtaken by Heavy
Freight and ground TO spiinters-Nanes
of the Known Dead and Wounded.
KoUTs, Ind, Oct. 12.-Erie Express No.
70 pulled out of Dearborn station, Chicago,
of the Chicago g. Atlantic railroad at T:45
o'clock Monday evening. Conductor Parks
was in charge and Engineer Connor AMI
Fireman Willetts were on the lOcomotv.
The train was made up of two Pullmr1
sleepers, day coach, a fruit-car and bag
gage car. The night was dark and misty,
and the rails were slippery. The train had
been out of Chicago but few moments
when Engineer Conner discovered that his
engine had broken her eccentric strap. AZ
this mishap is OF frequent occurrence Conner
continued on his trip by working one side OF
his locomotive The mishap lessened the
speed of the train to such an extent that
when it swept by Boone Grove, ~ dismal
prairie station five miles west OF this place,
it was two hours late.
While the crippled passenger train was
running through this bleak strip of country
a heavy refrigerator train, with tons of fresh
meat packed in its long line of cars, was
numbering along at a great speed few
miles behind. John Dorsey was the engineer
of the freight engine, and, it is said, had or
ders to look out for the passenger train
After passing Boone Grove Engineer Con-
nor stopped his train at a water tank, two
and one-half miles west of this village, or
midway between here AMI Boone Grove As
soon as he had leapel from his engine he
threw up the distant semaphore lamp
nearly half mile in his rear. This was to
warn the freight that the express train
had stopped for water. He had not
been at the tank more than two minutes
when he heard the freight laundering be-
hind. The grade at this point is very steep,
and with slippery rails a heavy train runs at
furious rate. 1t was too late to warn the
train, which was coming at a tremendous
speed. Engineer Dorsey had failed to see
The big red semaphore light and his locomo-
tvs tore through the fog and mist until it
crashed into the rear Pullman coach. Before
the collision occurred Dorsey and his fire
nan saw Inc lamps burning on the doomed
express train, but it was too late to avert the
disaster. Tie two men leaped from their cab
and then the crash me.
The engine of the freight plunged so far
into the rear Pullman that its upperworks
dropped off in the center of the coach. The
conclusion drove the second heavy sleeper
into the day coach, which was reduced to
splinters. The platforms of every car were
torn away, and the ends Of each coach were
broken like egg-shells. The cars of the
freight train were hurled in every direction.
The upper-works of the engine were torn
away, the tender thrown across the track,
and piled up for twenty rods about the prai-
rie were hundreds OF pounds of meat.
There were Baker improved heaters on the
express train, but notwithstanding this sup
posed improvement over the deadly stove
the Goals in the heater quickly set fire to the
upholstery of the rear Pullman, and in five
minutes a fame which ut first was scarcely
larger than a ribbon spread into brisk
blaze, and soon enveloped the shattered
coaches and their screaming occupants. The
light from The fire illuminated the sky for
miles around and startled the farmers who
had not yet gone to bed. Through the rain
and mud the rescuers came. Meantime the
crews OF both trains who had escaped with
but slight injuries, were hard at work drag
ging the helpless passengers from their bla zing
prisons Nearly all were found to have been
hurled to the front end of the coaches, where
they were pinned and crushed 10y the heavy
tmbers and irons of the platforms Tho fire
burned with the appalling rapidty of all
railroad fires Reinforced by the farmers
and their sturdy boys the trainmen set about
their work with a will. There was water
close at hand, and pailful after palfu was
dashed into the cracking mass.
v,a oNf al, hat fba,.a
but twenty passengers on the train, but
the men who stood abont the wreck declared
that the screams and appeals OF mercy came
from double that number of human beings
The Pulmans. although the first to receive
the shock, did not leave the track, but
burned where they stood. So far as known
not life was lost in these coaches. There
were but few persons in the berths, and al
though all were hurled, one upon the other,
all escaped through the windows before the
flames burst through the flooring
1t was in the day coach that the slaughter
occurred This frail box was smashed to
atoms. The sides flew ont and the heavy
roof sprang into the air and then came down
upon the score or moro human beings who
Jay pinned beneath tho seats
There was Bohemian family named
Miller in this Inflated coach. They were
from Dundee, ILL.,, and MI were en- route for
Hungary The father, mother and two
daughters sat vis-a-vis Behind the parents
were their two SONS When the heavy Pull
mans drove the day coach against the bag
gsge-car the entire family were hurled over
the seats and driven between tho ends Of the
two cars The flames moved up from behind
with fearful rapidity.. The father AMI bus-
band lay dead with an iron rod through his
.hroat, but the rest OF the unfortunate family
were still alive when the train men sought to
rescue them. Every thing was done to drag
the children from the pile but with
cut avail The fire crept nearer
and nearer, until finally cushion of seat
bazed up just above the woman's head. The
poor creature tried TO speak, but no inteligi-
BILE sound escaped her lips. Then she at.
tempted to pass one OF her girls, wee mite
Of thing whose white apron was stained
with blood, to the rescuers who were crowd.
ed about the terrible scene. When the woman
saw that death was inevitable she closed her
eyes rs IL in prayer, and, wrapping her only
free arm arour d the waists OF tho children
lying nearest her. awaited the coming of III
flames From this unfortunate family but